Thompson wins GOP primary battle for US Senate in Wisconsin

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson won a four-way Republican primary for an open U.S. Senate seat in Wisconsin. Thompson will face Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin in the general election this fall. Democratic incumbent Sen. Herb Kohl is not running for his fifth-term.

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson won a four-way Republican primary for an open U.S. Senate seat in Wisconsin. Thompson will face Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin in the general election this fall. Democratic incumbent Sen. Herb Kohl is not running for his fifth-term.

State Rep. Kurt Bills is the Minnesota Republican Party's pick to face U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the November election. The first-term Republican nabbed the endorsement to challenge the Democratic incumbent after two ballots at the Minnesota GOP Convention Friday in St. Cloud.

GOP U.S. Senate candidate Kurt Bills is in apparent need of dollar bills. The Federal Election Commission reports that the Republican challenger to Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar has just $5,841 in the bank -- approximately 900 times less than Klobuchar's campaign, which has nearly $5.4 million.

A week from Tuesday, voters will settle a bitter and nasty fight between two Republicans vying for the nomination to go up against Democratic incumbent Rep. Tim Walz this fall. "Unelectable” and “hypocritical" are among the insults Mike Parry and Allen Quist have thrown at each other as they compete in a GOP primary in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, the Associated Press reports.

Republicans in Minnesota First Congressional District chose Allen Quist over State Senator Mike Parry in Tuesday's primary. Quist is a former state lawmaker whose political comeback continues as he moves on to face incumbent Democrat Tim Walz in November.

The final tally shows Democrat John Lehman defeated incumbent Republican Van Wanggaard by 834 votes, the Associated Press reports. A victory would give Democrats a one-seat majority in the Senate. Wanggaard has indicated he may challenge the final count in court.

The Government Accountability Board said Friday that the recall election of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and the primary election that accompanied it cost Wisconsin taxpayers $13.5 million. Some of the costs associated with the recall election -- in which Walker retained his post --- included payment of poll workers, staff salaries, printing ballots and programming election equipment.

Gov. Scott Walker survived a highly contentious recall election in Wisconsin on Tuesday, defeating Democrat and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. What did the result say about Walker, his stand against public employee unions, big money vs. grassroots campaigning and what's next for the two parties?

A Republican primary fight between state Sen. Mike Parry and former state Rep. Allen Quist in southern Minnesota sharpened this week, with the candidates trading insults and charges of distortion. The two will square off in an Aug. 14 primary, and the winner will take on Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., in November.